You feel like life keeps dragging you lower and lower, like the emotional pain you feel will be endless. Your breath catches in your chest, your heart aches, your entire being throbs. Everything hurts.

When will it all stop hurting?

You wonder if your pain will ever subside, if life will ever feel a little bit lighter. You begin to lose hope that life, even in its darkness, is inherently beautiful. You wait a raw, numb eternity for something—anything—to change, for a glimmer of light to reassure you that maybe everything will start to look up again.

When will I see the light?

The light you seek may seem distant, unreachable as your pain seems to swallow you whole. The journey to happiness and wholeness may seem too daunting to begin as you desperately search for the strength to carry on.

But somewhere deep within your heart lies a glimmer of resilience. It’s the pulse that keeps you breathing. It’s the salve to your unbearable pain. It’s the hope that even though your life is bleak, you will someday discover the light you’ve been longing for.

It’s strength in the face of any obstacle. It’s resolve in spite of any uncertainty. It’s determination to push past any trial, to overpower the lingering hurt and live again.

Today, you wonder how much more heartache you will have to endure. You wonder if your pain will ever end or if you will continue to sink lower without any prospect of rescue. But today, even as you struggle to breathe, know that every moment you exist, you are one step closer to healing, to discovering the light within.

Your body will feel strong again. Your mind will stop racing. Your heart will stop aching. You will summon the inner strength you need to conquer your demons, to find the gleaming hope that will propel you towards a fulfilling life.

You may not see your light today, but it swells within you, waiting to be discovered. As you lie in pain, waiting for your life to change, remember that you will find a glimmer of hope in the darkness, an end to the hurt, the beginning of a fulfilling new life.

Today may leave you hurting, wondering, and breaking, but every breath you take imbues you with the strength to seek out a happier tomorrow.